When open -- from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday -- the store seemed the centre of the island's offseason social life. Cars lined the road out front. A sign inside noted that all proceeds go to island causes, ranging from a new floor for the Ag Hall, to those aforementioned holiday lights.

Weeks, a longtime resident, lamented that "it's getting harder and harder because fewer people want to volunteer. We have so many snowbirds!"

But the independent air of these islanders is plain, and that's part of the draw.

That and the quiet beauty of this isolated place, where residents honour an interesting history.

Hiking trails abound. Our expectations were happily met by natural wonders along a half-mile walk to the tip of Campbell Point, part of the multi-island Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, established in 2003.

Through towering firs and myriad gnarled arbutus, we looked out at the wide Strait of Georgia, backed by snow-capped peaks and the distant Vancouver skyline.

On the far side of the island, we found something we didn't expect: the island's Japanese Garden, dedicated to a past little known beyond the island's shores.

The manicured acre of formal garden, complete with reflective pond, bridges and torii gates, opened in 2002.

Island volunteers built it as a memorial to the Japanese immigrants who farmed the island starting around the early 1900s.

Japanese Canadians were one-third of the island population by World War II, when, as in the United States, they were sent to internment camps -- most not to return.

"It was a black mark in Canadian history," said Jerry Betker, an island old-timer we met as he tended the garden, built on a site where the Adachi family once farmed.

The Adachis and other Japanese immigrants raised strawberries, orchard fruit and hothouse tomatoes -- the main supply of tomatoes to Vancouver in the early 20th century.

"They were very much the economic engine of the island," we heard from Alan Guy, another garden volunteer.

The garden has not gone unnoticed by those it honours. The Adachi family plans a reunion there this summer, with more than 100 expected from Japan and across Canada.

In a tribute to native culture, islanders last summer recognized the contributions of a local First Nations couple, Emma and Felix Jack, with the placement at a prominent crossroads of a 20-foot-tall wood carving with outstretched arms, "The Honouring Figure," based on a traditional Coast Salish welcome figure.

Mayne is an interesting mixture of old-timers, well-off and not, juxtaposed with newcomers who've achieved success elsewhere and can afford to live where they choose.

Politically, island clout has shifted in recent years from the old guard to newcomers who have brought yoga studios, a health-food store and new ideas.

"The new recycling people and tree huggers and people into this modern stuff pretty much have the influence now," said island artist Jim McKenzie, who came from Vancouver in the 1980s "because it was the cool artist thing to do." He accepts changes with equanimity, though: "You have to accept the differences in people or you just won't have any friends."

Said Cressman of the newbies, "I've appreciated how they have brought new things like a folk club and the market" -- a summertime Saturday farmers market outside the 100-year-old Agricultural Hall, which is also the site of an annual August agricultural fair.

If anything on Mayne Island seems too newfangled, just take a walk down to the Miners Bay waterfront and sit for a while on the octagonal bench that was built to commemorate the occasion when King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the late Queen Mum) sailed past on their way between Victoria and Vancouver in 1939.

Sailed past. Didn't stop.

Yet islanders built a memorial bench, still marked with a battered brass plaque, which continues to accommodate those yearning for a peaceful water view more than 70 years later.

Maybe that's another example of island time. This remains a quaint place, a 90-minute ferry ride from the harried world, looking back with dignity to its varied cultural roots.

IF YOU GO:

GETTING THERE:

BC Ferries sails from Tsawwassen, south of Vancouver, B.C., with a limited schedule to Mayne Island.

Reservations are strongly advised on BC Ferries. Reserved tickets must be claimed at ticket booths at least 40 minutes in advance of sailings. Reservations: 888-BC FERRY or www.bcferries.com/bcftravelcentre

WHERE TO STAY:

Some inexpensive lodging can make up for the ferry cost. (We found a cottage, La Casita, for $80 a night off-season.) The island has inns, B&Bs, rental homes and cabins, plus a small private campground. An excellent source of information, with photos: www.mayneisland.com/accommodation.

Some options include:

Springwater Lodge, circa 1892, on the Miners Bay village waterfront. Besides a pub and restaurant on the ground floor, it has five very basic rental rooms upstairs, sharing a single bathroom ($40 a night, summer only). Also rents waterfront cabins. 250-539-5521 or www.springwaterlodge.com.

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